1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to carrying bags. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention relate to multi-portion carrying bags having at least a top portion and a detachable bottom portion.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many types of carrying or tote bags are known in the art. Carrying bags are traditionally used to carry and keep within arm's reach a wide range of items that may be needed or used numerous times during the course of a day. Typical items commonly carried in a carrying bag may include items for children and adults such as: diapers, toys, food and snacks, clothing, shoes, books, portable electronics such as a DVD player, DVDs and other baby or child-related items, and cosmetics, beauty aids, automobile and house keys, travel or airline tickets, pens and notepads, cellular telephones, checkbooks, personal data assistants (PDAs), wallets, money, credit cards, sporting equipment and other useful adult items. One problem frequently associated with carrying so many items of diverse sizes and shapes is that it becomes difficult to quickly or easily find a particular desired item within the single storage enclosure that is typical of most carrying bags. This is because the items are usually layered on top of one another in a bucket-like area in the middle or interior of the bag resulting in the desired item being hidden underneath others.
Further, because there is typically no way to organize the items in the bucket-like area of the bag, the items constantly shift and commingle with one another during use of the bag. This is typical of existing pocketbooks, knap sacks, back packs, tote bags, etc. To help a user organize items within existing carrying bags, smaller bags are typically used to store snacks and food, insulated bags may be used to store drinks, “diaper pods” may be used to hold baby changing items and accessory cases may be used for cosmetics, etc. When all of these smaller bags are placed and carried within the bucket-like portion of the main bag together with other larger necessary items, it becomes difficult to find desired items because the smaller bags as well as the loose items not contained in the smaller bags, inevitably become commingled with and layered on top of each other, making it just as difficult to find a desired item quickly or easily.
Take, for example, a diaper bag. A problem with existing diaper bags is that they typically do not separate large bulkier items that are necessary for travel with a child, from smaller items, such as pacifiers, bags of snacks, spoons, straws, bottles, sippy cups, canisters of powdered formula, a child's socks and shoes, and the caregiver or user's PDAs, cell phones, keys, wallets, checkbooks, passports, etc. Although existing bags include side pockets on the interior or exterior walls, these pockets do not solve this problem because of the number of items necessary to carry at once and because the pockets are usually too small, too narrow, too full or are open at the top such that items within those pockets fall out into the bucket-like portion of the bag when in use or when the bag is turned over, dropped, knocked down, etc.
Traveling with an infant or small child, even if only to the local store, requires having an overwhelming amount of items, which may include many, if not all, of the items previously discussed, on hand and readily available. Accordingly, existing carrying or diaper bags become bulky and cumbersome. If, for example, the child's diaper needs to be changed, the bulky and cumbersome diaper bag is usually brought with the child and caregiver to the changing area that is typically found in a public restroom. These changing areas are typically narrow, busy and often dirty and hence, managing a heavy over stuffed carrying or diaper bag together with an infant or child, becomes cumbersome and problematic. An alternative for users of typical diaper or carrying bags has been to leave the entire carrying or diaper bag behind but not before pulling out of it a “diaper pod” or accessory bag that contains only the necessities for a diaper change such as, diapers, wipes, creams and a changing pad, or if a “diaper pod” or accessory bag was not used, separately finding and pulling out all of the changing items and juggling these separate items with the child while traveling to and from the changing area.
Another situation where current diaper or carrying bags are deficient is when traveling with an infant or small child on an airplane. Typically, a diaper or carrying bag is carried onto an airplane with the caregiver or user. Because of the necessity of having everything accessible to a user that may possibly be needed during the flight, regardless of its duration, including items such as books, games and portable electronic devices such as DVD players to occupy the child; pacifiers, stuffed animals, books and blankets to pacify the child; or food, bottles, diapers, etc., to care for the child, these bags often become large and cumbersome making it difficult to stow these bags under an airplane seat. Accordingly, the entire tote or diaper bag must typically be stowed in an overhead compartment. This is problematic because of the numerous times a user must go into a diaper bag to retrieve necessary items to either feed, change or otherwise occupy the child (toys, books, DVDs, etc.). The alternative has been to carry two or more smaller bags onto the airplane and constantly shift items between the two, which is burdensome both because of the need to carry multiple bags with the child together with checked luggage, and because the items become commingled between the two bags making it difficult for a user to keep track of which items are where.
Examples of existing carrying or tote bags include U.S. Pat. No. 2,672,903 to Machinist (the “'903 patent”) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,209,279 to Wilson (the “'279 patent”). The '903 patent is directed to a duplex handbag having two units—a first unit and a second unit. The first unit comprises an entire handbag that may be used independently of the second unit. The second unit comprises an auxiliary handbag detachably secured to the first unit. The second unit attaches to the bottom of the first unit in a hanging or dependent fashion and is closed at the bottom and sides but open at the top. Because the second unit is open at its top end, the bottom wall of the first unit to which the second unit is attached, serves as the closure for the top of the second unit. There is no means provided for closing the top end of the second unit when it is detached from the first unit.
Disadvantageously, because the second unit's access is only through its open top, in order for a person to access the second unit's interior, the second unit must be detached from the first unit. Further, because the second unit is opened at its top end while attached to the first unit, detaching the second unit can result in items contained therein, falling out or becoming displaced. Additional disadvantages with the second unit having an open top while attached and detached from the first unit is: (1) the second unit cannot function as a stand-alone unit that can be detached and stowed away with items contained therein; and (2) the mechanisms to attach the first and second units to one another cannot be located on the bottom and top surfaces of the top and bottom units, respectively. Having the attachment mechanisms located interiorly between the two units (i.e. on the bottom and top surfaces), is advantageous because, in this configuration, the mechanisms will be substantially concealed and there is less of an opportunity for the units to become inadvertently detached from one another.
Another disadvantage with the bag of the '903 patent is the length of time it may take to attach and detach the first and second units. The first and second units attach to one another by way of a plurality of individual fastening elements. Therefore, to detach the units from one another each fastening element must be undone separately, which is time consuming. Further, to attach the first and second units together, each portion of the fastening elements (i.e. the portion on the first unit and the portion on the second unit) must be separately aligned and fastened together, which is also time consuming and requires use of both hands. Accordingly, attachment and detachment of the first and second units of the '903 lacks speed and efficiency.
The '279 patent is directed to a dual unit handbag having a top compartment and a removable lower compartment. The top compartment is connected to the bottom compartment by a suitable connection means such as a zipper. While attached to the top compartment, the bottom compartment remains open at its top. The bottom compartment having an open top while attached to the top compartment is disadvantageous for a few reasons. First, for example, if the bottom compartment inadvertently becomes either partially or fully detached from the top compartment, items contained therein can fall out and become lost. Second, because the bottom compartment remains open at its top during attachment to the top compartment, it may be awkward to maneuver the bottom compartment during the top and bottom compartment attachment process. For example, a person trying to align the zipper elements of the top and bottom compartments may find it difficult to achieve proper alignment without moving the bottom compartment into a position that may result in items within the bottom compartment falling out of the bottom compartment or getting in the way during zipper alignment. Another disadvantage of the bottom compartment remaining open at its top end during attachment to the top compartment is similar to that described above for the '903 patent, namely, the mechanisms to attach the compartments to one another cannot be located on the bottom and top surfaces of the top and bottom compartments, respectively, which is disadvantageous for the reasons discussed above.
A further disadvantage with the handbag of the '279 patent is that there is no way to gain access to the contents contained within the bottom compartment other than through its open top. Accordingly, if a person wants to add or remove an item to/from the bottom compartment, a user must at least partially disconnect or unzip the connection means between the two compartments. This can be problematic because items can fall out of the bottom compartment during this process. A further disadvantage with the handbag of the '279 patent is with the use of a zipper as the attachment mechanism between the top and bottom compartments. Because a zipper is the attachment mechanism between the top and bottom compartments, much loading and thus stress is exerted on the zipper from the weight of the items contained in the bottom compartment. Accordingly, the zipper may open up during use or even prematurely fail resulting in a bag that does not achieve its intended purpose. Further, attaching the top and bottom compartments together with a zipper when the bottom compartment is completely detached may be problematic. For example, if the bag is being used as an infant or child carrying bag, it may be impossible to attach the two compartments together. Usually, a person with a child only has one hand available to do things as the other hand is being used to hold the child. Therefore, aligning and engaging the two separate components of the zipper with a single hand may be very difficult, if not impossible and time consuming.
Accordingly, a need exists to provide an alternative to current carrying or tote bags. More specifically, a need exists for a carrying bag that can easily organize a plurality of small and large items such that a user may easily and more quickly locate desired items contained within the carrying bag. Furthermore, there is a need for a carrying bag that allows a user to separate larger bulkier items from smaller items and in which a user can easily detach the portion containing the larger bulkier items from the portion containing the smaller items.